Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The review, to which the Deputy refers, is in response to a recommendation contained in the Future of Media Commission (FOMC) Report.

The Future of Media Commission (FOMC) was established in late 2020, to undertake a comprehensive examination of Ireland’s broadcast, print and online media, and to consider how media can remain sustainable and resilient in delivering public service aims over the next decade.

The FOMC Report was subsequently published in July 2022 and contained a number of recommendations. Recommendation number 6-9 relates to the Digital Single Market (DSM) Copyright Directive, and it was recommended that the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment “implement the copyright directive, assess its effectiveness and take further action if necessary”.

The first FOMC Implementation Strategy and Action Plan was published on 18 January 2023. It was acknowledged that my Department had already fulfilled a significant element of the relevant recommendation as the DSM Copyright Directive (2019/790) was transposed by my Department by way of the European Union (Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Single Market) Regulations 2021, in November 2021 (S.I. No. 567 of 2021).

The Action Plan outlines my Department’s intention that, by the end of Q3 2023, a stakeholder consultation, focusing on Article 15 (rights of press publishers) of the DSM Copyright Directive, will be undertaken. This is in keeping with the subject matter of the FOMC Report and I do not currently have any plans to go beyond the area specified in the FOMC Report in the upcoming review.

The transposed Directive needs sufficient time to be fully implemented, both in Ireland, and across the entire EU before an effective review can be undertaken. In that respect, the European Commission is obliged, pursuant to Article 30 of the Directive, to undertake a full review of the DSM Copyright Directive and present a report on the main findings to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee. My Department will fully support and engage with the European Commission in its work on this upcoming review.